Berwick Academy boys falter in second half

Sunday

May 12, 2013 at 3:15 AM

By JOHN DOYLEjdoyle@fosters.com

SOUTH BERWICK, Maine — The Berwick Academy boys lacrosse team is fighting for one of the last spots in the upcoming NEPSAC tournament. On Saturday, the beginning of the regular-season home stretch, the Bulldogs seemed to be going in the right direction in the first half against visiting Hebron Academy. In the second half, not so much.

Hebron scored nine straight goals in the second half and held Berwick scoreless until the final seconds to earn a 13-7 victory, handing the home team a setback in its quest for a postseason berth.

“If I knew that, it would have been a different outcome,” said Berwick coach Bill Clapp when asked about the difference between the first half and the second half. “The guys put a lot of effort intot he first half. We were passing and catching effectively. But Hebron’s a very talented team. They were able to adjust at halftime.”

Berwick fell to 5-7 and now must make hay in its final two games, at Proctor Academy on Friday and at home next Saturday against Beaver Country Day School.

“We started strong and followed our game plan,” Berwick’s Sam Hereford said. “We just have to play full games. When it comes to that, you just have to key in on fundementals.”

The Bulldogs outscored the visiting Lumberjacks 3-2 in both the first and second quarters to stake themselves to a 6-4 halftime advantage. Will Reis scored three goals on the afternoon, including one in each of the first two quarters, to lead Berwick.

Things unraveled fast for Berwick in the third period. The Lumberjacks (8-5)outscored the Bulldogs 5-0, including a pair just seven seconds apart that put Hebron ahead for good. Jake Bosse scored twice for Hebron in that stretch, and the visitors led 9-6 after three stops.

“We had a little bit of the ‘bus legs’ going on,” said Hebron coach Owen “Kit” Smith Jr., who plays professional lacrosse for the Boston Cannons. “I felt confident that we were going to be able to push through it. I told them to settle down and we made some adjustments defensively.”

It was more of the same in the fourth quarter as the Lumberjacks scored early and often to put the game out of reach. Miles Horn and Nico Mangiello scored four goals apiece on the afternoon to lead Hebron. Goaltender Pat Shelley made a number of saves.

“Their transitions against us were strong,” Clapp said. “They have some kids who can shoot. They started to release the ball a lot better in the third quarter.”

Berwick’s Reis scored his team’s only goal of the second half, which came with 16 seconds to play. Brendan Bradley, Stephen Sherbahn, Hereford and Joey Lazzaro also scored for the Bulldogs.